Semianalytical Solution for Dissipation Process of Partially Saturated Soils Considering Nonsmooth Boundary and Stress Level
Publication: Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 149, Issue 9
Abstract
Partially saturated soils are commonly encountered in practice. To facilitate the construction and maintenance of infrastructure, it is important to estimate the dissipation of partially saturated soils reasonably, especially for the nonsmoothing dissipation at the boundaries. In the present study, a mathematical model was established for the dissipation process of partially saturated soils by considering nonsmooth boundary conditions. The depth-dependent total stress distribution was associated with the proposed semi-analytical solution. The corresponding semi-analytical solution was obtained, and a series of scenarios were conducted to show the characteristics associated with the dissipation process. Compared with the existing analytical solutions, the derivation process is much simpler and does not use complicated mathematical methodologies. The proposed solution was verified as accurate by comparing it with analytical solutions in the literature. This study reveals that, with a nonsmooth boundary, some effects exist that hinder the pressure changes of water and air at corresponding boundaries. The pressure variations of water and air close to the nonsmooth boundary show a rebound feature. The characteristics of the depth-dependent stress distribution mainly influence the prophase of the dissipation process for both water and air.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
This research has been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 42102308), the Research Funding of Shantou University for New Faculty Member (Grant No. NTF21008-2021), and the Special Fund for Science and Technology of Guangdong Province in 2021 (STKJ2021168).
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Information
Published In
Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 149 • Issue 9 • September 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 3, 2022
Accepted: Apr 16, 2023
Published online: Jun 21, 2023
Published in print: Sep 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Nov 21, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Architectural engineering
- Building management
- Construction engineering
- Construction industry
- Construction management
- Continuum mechanics
- Domain boundary
- Dynamics (solid mechanics)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering mechanics
- Geomechanics
- Geotechnical engineering
- Infrastructure construction
- Maintenance and operation
- Mathematics
- Pressure (type)
- Saturated soils
- Soft soils
- Soil mechanics
- Soil properties
- Soil stress
- Soils (by type)
- Solid mechanics
- Stress (by type)
- Stress distribution
- Structural analysis
- Structural engineering
- Water pressure
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